DVD: Conjuring, Internship Way, Way Back Tuesday, Oct. 22

In this publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Lili Taylor portrays Carolyn Perron in a scene from "The Conjuring." The film opens nationwide on Friday, July 19. (AP Photo/New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures)

"The Conjuring" (R, 112 minutes, Warner): This impressive ghost story also is a well-above-average thriller. If it isn't quite up there with such classics of the genre as "The Haunting" (1963 version) or "The Others," it isn't far behind. Set in 1971, the story is said to have been inspired by the files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a husband-and-wife team of paranormal investigators. The action takes place in a 150-year-old Rhode Island farmhouse, where, almost immediately upon moving in, Roger and Carolyn Perron (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) and their five daughters start to experience disturbing events. First the dog won't come inside. Then there's a foul odor, followed by unexplained cold spots, clocks that stop at 3:07 a.m. and miscellaneous visits by things that go bump in the night. When things get out of control one night — about the time a female poltergeist tries to body slam one of the daughters from the top of a haunted antique wardrobe — the Perrons invite the Warrens over to have a look-see. As played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the Warrens bring a sort of deadpan credibility to the admittedly far-fetched goings-on. Contains intense scenes of terror and violence. Extras include "Scaring the "@$*% Out of You" featurette. Also, on Blu-ray: "Face-to-Face With Terror" and "A Life in Demonology" featurettes.

"The Internship" (PG-13, 119 minutes, Fox) Two middle-aged men, both suddenly unemployed and, in one case, facing foreclosure, decide their wisest move is to apply for unpaid internships at Google even though they possess zero technical skills, barely know what Instagram is and often refer to the Internet as "the online." Anything resembling post-economic-recession logic clearly got chucked out the window here, along with the acknowledgment that Bing and Yahoo exist. But hey, the whole point of "The Internship" is to reunite Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, whose mile-a-minute-meets-super-mellow chemistry made "Wedding Crashers" a massive hit in 2005 and puts them in ridiculous situations that prove moxie and determination always overcome actual competence. That this overlong, often preposterous comedy succeeds at all (which it does, occasionally) proves that the Vaughn/Wilson charm can still work a measure of magic. Former watch salesmen Billy (Vaughn) and Nick (Wilson) improbably snag those coveted intern slots and, gobsmacked and Googly-eyed, report to work, where they learn that all interns will be divided into teams that must complete a series of challenges. At the end of the internship, members of the winning team collect the ultimate prize: full-time jobs. In short order, two 40-somethings who can barely work a webcam find themselves attempting to fix coding bugs, develop apps and, for some strange reason, win Quidditch matches. Contains sexuality, some crude humor, partying and language. Extras include commentary with director Shawn Levy and "Any Given Monday" featurette. Also, on Blu-ray: deleted scenes.

"Before Midnight" (R, 108 minutes, Sony): Richard Linklater made his name in 1991 with "Slacker," a low-key ramble through Austin that introduced a new generation and a spontaneous form of filmmaking that concealed surprising intelligence and artfulness beneath its laid-back style. Linklater has gone on to pursue a wonderfully eclectic career, hopping from sci-fi animation ("Waking Life") to family-friendly comedies ("School of Rock") with easygoing finesse. But now and then he returns to the talky, elliptical movie he started out making: In 1995, he made "Before Sunrise," starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as Jesse and Celine, two people in their 20s who meet on a train and spend a romantic night having one long conversation while strolling through Vienna; in 2004 he caught up with the couple in "Before Sunset," when they meet again a decade later. With luck, Linklater isn't bringing the couple's story to an end with "Before Midnight" — we can't wait to see Jesse and Celine confront their later years in "Before I Have to Get Up and Pee Again." But there's no doubt that "Before Midnight," which finds the young lovers of yore firmly ensconced within the regret and compromise of middle age, also finds them grappling with intimations of aging and mortality. Jesse and Celine still tease, seduce, wind each other up and prattle on with the same verve, but there's an autumnal whiff to even their sunniest repartee. Contains sexual content, nudity and profanity. Extras include .

"The Way, Way Back" (PG-13, 103 minutes, Fox): Adolescent disaffection, adult cluelessness and the fleeting pangs of summer romance spring palpably to life in "The Way, Way Back," a coming-of-age drama that manages some genuinely surprising turns despite the formulaic road it travels. In the film's opening scene, 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James), on his way to a cramped, damp summer on the Massachusetts shore, is trapped in a car being driven by his mother's boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell). While Duncan's mom, Pam (Toni Collette), naps, Trent is haranguing Duncan about his social skills, sharply asking the teenager how he would rate himself on a scale from 1 to 10, then volunteering that he'd give Duncan "a 3." Trent, filmed showing only his sharply accusing eyes in the rearview mirror, is a nasty piece of work, judgmental and rigid. Once arrived at Riptide, Trent's cottage, the group is set upon by Betty (Allison Janney), Trent's blowsy neighbor who's a compulsive hugger and prodigious tippler, and whose motto is: "Accept it and move on." While Trent and Pam become absorbed in the beach town's social life, Duncan gets busy being rejected by Trent's daughter's clique, although Betty's daughter, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), shows some potential for self-awareness. Desperate for escape, Duncan bicycles away from the compound one day, finally finding himself at the Water Wizz, a vintage water park overseen by a perennial teenager named Owen (Sam Rockwell). Contains thematic elements, profanity, some sexual content and brief drug material. Extras include deleted scenes, a water park "tour," at look at filmmakers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash and an "Ensemble" featurette. Also, on Blu-ray: a making-of featurette.

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"Only God Forgives" (R, 89 minutes, Anchor Bay): You've got to hand it to Nicolas Winding Refn. Only a filmmaker of his supreme self-confidence would put one of the most charismatic stars on the planet in his movie and then reduce his leading man's face to an unrecognizable mess. Ryan Gosling hands out and receives beatings with such metronomic regularity that they feel like the big dance numbers in bad musicals: showy, artificial and meaningless. In some ways, "Only God Forgives" qualifies as a follow-up to Refn's 2011 film, "Drive," which starred Gosling in a similarly terse, somber performance. But where that film cleverly addressed its own pulp-crime genre and the artifice of Hollywood, here Refn advances nothing but his own obsessions, which quickly grow tiresome. He has often proudly declared himself to be a "fetish filmmaker," interested in making movies purely on the basis of what attracts him. The problem with fetish filmmakers is that they're only interested in pleasing themselves; the audience, for its part, doesn't figure. Contains strong bloody violence, including grisly images, sexual content and profanity. Extras include commentary with Refn, behind the scenes featurette, director interviews and the movie's music, with Cliff Martinez.